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Thomas Fitzsimons, born in Ireland, approximately October 1741, represented Pennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention, viewed government as a logical extension of the relationship that existed among families, ethnic communities, and business groups. His own immigrant family, Philadelphia’s Irish-Catholic community, and the city’s fraternity of merchants all figured prominently in Fitzsimons’ rise to wealth and status, and he sought a government strong enough to protect and foster the natural interplay of these elements in a healthy society.

Experiences in the Revolution reinforced Fitzsimons’ nationalist sympathies. Like many immigrants, he demonstrated his devotion to his adopted land by springing to its defense. Participation at the battle of Renton and the later defense of Philadelphia convinced him of the need for central control of the nation’s military forces. Similarly, his wartime association with Robert Morris and the other fiscal architects of the nation convinced him that an effective national government was essential for the prosperity of the country. Though his talents brought him great wealth, Fitzsimons never lost sight of the aspirations and concerns of the common people. He retained their respect and affection because his career reflected not only a sense of civic duty but also a profound honesty. He judged each political issue on ethical grounds. “I conceive it to be a duty,” he said, “to contend for what is right, be the issue as it may.” Using this standard, he concluded with justifiable pride that the Constitution he helped devise was a “treasure to posterity.”

Fitzsimons’ family came to Philadelphia from Ireland in the mid-1750s. His father died soon after settling in the New World, but not before providing an adequate education for his five children. Both Thomas and his twin sister Ann married into the city’s growing community of Irish merchants. In 1763 Thomas went into business with his new brother-in-law, George Meade (the grandfather of the Civil War general), specializing in trade with the West Indies.

The new firm’s emergence coincided with Parliament’s attempt to restructure the British Empire in the aftermath of the Seven Years War. Old laws designed to regulate commerce were supplemented by new revenue measures such as a Stamp Act in 1765 to fund troops stationed in the colonies. Merchants felt the burden directly and emerged as leaders of the resulting storm of protest. When Parliament reacted to the 1773 Boston Tea Party with punitive measures, which the Americans called the Coercive Acts, Philadelphia merchants, including the partners in the prosperous George Meade & Co., were infuriated. They felt that if British warships could close the port of Boston, no city in America was truly safe.

Such economic concerns thrust the young Fitzsimons into politics and the Patriot cause. In 1771 the city’s merchants and tradesmen of Irish heritage had elected him as the first vice president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a politically powerful fraternal association. Popular respect for his political judgment and economic acumen led in 1774 to his election to a steering committee organized to direct the protest over the Coercive Acts and to the city’s Committee of Correspondence, the Patriots’ shadow government. In choosing him for these posts, the voters ignored a law that barred Catholics from elective office. Fitzsimons went on to represent the city in a special colony-wide convention held to discuss the crisis. Its deliberations led Pennsylvania to issue a call for a meeting of all the colonies, the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia in September 1774.

Pennsylvania’s Quaker pacifist traditions had resulted in a unique military situation on the eve of the Revolution. Lacking a militia, the local Patriots had to organize a military force from the ground up by forming volunteer units, called Associators. Thanks to his wealth and wide-ranging connections in the community, Fitzsimons contributed significantly to this speedy mobilization. When Philadelphia’s contingent of infantry (today’s 111th Infantry, Pennsylvania Army National Guard) was organized, Fitzsimons, as a captain, raised and commanded a company in Colonel John Cadwalader’s 3d Battalion.

During the summer of 1776 these citizen-soldiers faced their first crisis. A large British army, supported by the Royal Navy, attacked New York City, and Congress asked the nearby states to reinforce Washington’s outnumbered Continental Army regulars. Pennsylvania sent the Associators to the Flying Camp, a mobile reserve stationed in northern New Jersey to prevent any sudden diversion of Redcoats toward Philadelphia, the national capital. Fitzsimons’ company served in the cordon of outposts that under Colonel John Dickinson guarded the New Jersey shoreline. Although a month of active duty passed without incident, the assignment provided Fitzsimons valuable time in which to train his men.

In November, with New York secured, the British suddenly invaded New Jersey. This move caught the Americans with their forces geographically divided and badly outnumbered. While Washington began a slow withdrawal of his main force to safe positions on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, Congress again called on the state for reinforcements. Fitzsimons’ company went on duty on 5 December to cover the continentals’ retreat. For the remainder of the month it guarded the river’s Pennsylvania shore. Complaining in his diary of the hardships the company was enduring in the bitter cold of that famous winter campaign, a company sergeant noted that Captain Fitzsimons was “very kind to our men.” Concern for the well-being of others, a hallmark of Fitzsimons’ military career that echoed through his later life, formed the basis of his broad political appeal.

Aware that a symbolic victory was needed to bolster civilian morale, Washington launched a counterattack on Christmas night. He chose Trenton, the winter quarters for a Hessian brigade, as his target. Plans called for a three-pronged dawn attack, with a large body of militia under Cadwalader crossing downstream to cut British reinforcement routes. Fitzsimons’ company was in Cadwalader’s column, but like most of the militia force, was unable to cross the river because of deteriorating weather. It thus did not share in Washington’s great surprise victory, but it joined Washington several days later, in time to deal with a British counterattack. When General Charles Cornwallis reached Trenton on 2 January, the Americans slipped away in the dark and at dawn struck the enemy’s rear guard at Princeton, smashing a second British brigade. Cadwalader’s militiamen played a key role in the engagement, although Fitzsimons’ company appears to have served in a reserve force. Washington moved on to northern New Jersey, forcing the British to abandon most of the state. Fitzsimons finally retired from active duty at the end of the month.

Pennsylvania authorities then asked him to serve on an eleven-member board to oversee the Pennsylvania navy, which formed the primary defense of Delaware Bay and the river approaches to Philadelphia. In this role Fitzsimons not only helped plan the capital’s defenses, but organized logistics, coordinated defense with neighboring states, and negotiated with a sometimes reluctant Continental Congress over regional strategy. The assignment also provided him with an important lesson when the British captured Philadelphia. Finding Pennsylvania’s defenses too formidable along the river approaches to the city, the enemy sailed up the Chesapeake Bay, and, marching through poorly defended sections of Maryland and Delaware, attacked the capital from the south. Even then, the defenses Fitzsimons had worked so hard to create held out for several months. With Philadelphia, along with his home and business, in enemy hands, Fitzsimons came to understand that no matter how well organized and defended one state might be, its safety depended ultimately on the united strength of all the states.

When France entered the war on the American side in 1778, British strategy changed. The field commander, Sir Henry Clinton, evacuated Pennsylvania and turned his attention to the conquest of the southern states, thus ending Pennsylvania’s need for frequent militia mobilizations. Although Fitzsimons was involved in supplying the French naval forces that occasionally called at Philadelphia, he was now free to concentrate on politics.

Fitzsimons was concerned about the inflation and other serious economic problems that marked the latter years of the Revolution. Pennsylvania, burdened with a weak government, was unable to cope with these issues. Fitzsimons’ experiences both in uniform and on the states Navy Board convinced him that stronger central authority did not pose a threat to liberty and was in fact the only solution to the new crisis. Many leaders who felt this way were unpopular in Philadelphia because of their wealth, but Fitzsimons’ reputation as a caring officer, as well as his work for the poor on numerous local relief committees, sustained his popularity. At this time he also became associated with the Patriot financier Robert Morris, helping to organize the banking facilities that Morris used to support the Continental Army and Navy in the last years of the war. In fact, Fitzsimons served as a director of the Bank of North America from its founding in 1781 until 1803.

Pennsylvania sent Fitzsimons to the Continental Congress in 1782. There he concentrated on financial and commercial matters, working closely with Morris and the nationalist faction led by Hamilton and Madison on developing a centralized economy. He supported the growth of domestic industry and the payment of the nation’s debts, particularly those owed to the soldiers of the Continental Army, but he argued that it was essential “that the weight of the taxes fall not too heavily upon any particular part of the community.” Although his integrity impressed Madison, his political evenhandedness did not sit so well with the voters, who began to criticize his stand on fiscal matters. Chagrined by the criticism and distracted by business obligations, Fitzsimons resigned in 1783.

But Fitzsimons could not abandon politics. He accepted election to Pennsylvania’s Council of Censors, a unique group that reviewed the constitutionality of executive and legislative actions. In 1786 he began the first of three terms in the state legislature, where he was a floor leader of the more conservative forces. He also represented Pennsylvania in a commission that met in 1785 with Delaware and Maryland to try to work out interstate commerce issues.

In 1787 the state selected Fitzsimons to represent it at the Constitutional Convention. There he spoke often on issues relating to commerce and finance, arguing that the central government should have the right to tax both exports and imports to raise revenue and regulate commerce-reiterating a position that he had advocated with little success in the Continental Congress. Following the completion of the Convention’s work, Fitzsimons resumed his seat in the Pennsylvania legislature, where he led the fight for a special convention to ratify the Constitution, arguing that since the document derived its power from the people, the people must approve it through representatives elected solely for that purpose.

Fitzsimons sat for six years as a Federalist in the new House of Representatives. He served on several important committees and was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He also chaired the committee that organized the government of the Northwest Territory, and, in the aftermath of the Army’s defeat by Indians in 1791, presided over a select committee that investigated the matter. That committee set an important precedent by asserting that the Congress, under the powers vested in the first article of the Constitution, had the right to oversee the President’s handling of military affairs.

Defeated in 1794, Fitzsimons devoted the rest of his life to business and charitable affairs. Financial reverses in old age did not shake his faith in the common man, nor his sense of obligation to those less fortunate than himself. In a fitting tribute to Fitzsimons’ abiding sense of civic duty, a contemporary noted the fact that “he died (on 26 August 1811, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) in the esteem, affection and gratitude of all classes of his fellow citizens.” He is buried at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the 2nd Catholic to sign the Constitution.

(10)“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices!” — Song of Solomon 4:10 (NASB)

Fragrance in one of those words we don’t think much about when we go about our daily lives. But Christianity often gives off something other than a “fragrance of Christ.” We are offended easily — by our government, by our brothers and sisters, by our co-workers. Most people know what we don’t like and what we are against, but rarely experience the love of Jesus through us. Forgiveness is the fragrance of Christ –it is His main purpose: to forgive all that stands between mankind and God, so that we can be together with Him for eternity.

In the 80’s, two of my closet friends and I had a split. The situation between us became volatile because we were both angry. We were both offended that the other didn’t understand why we did what we did. We were giving off the stench of unforgiveness.

Like a ball and chain wrapped around my ankles, my anger and hurt kept me from joy for several years. I easily cried, obsessed with anger, and felt like a tree stump dead in the forest after a forest fire. I had no hope or life in me. I hated Christians for the hypocrites I thought they were. Until one day, as I prayed and sought my Father for forgiveness for them and for myself, all of the pain and sorrow fell away. Like being washed with clean fresh water, it disappeared and never returned. Today my friendship with those people has been fully restored, and all the offense and hurt is gone!

Let us take a check of our hearts to see if what we give off is fragrance or unforgiveness. It can mask itself as judgment, offense, or opinion. It can sound like whining. It can come out as gossip. The fragrance of Christ is love and forgiveness, clean and pure. It is the love that takes no thought of what people say or do, but only what can be given to help them be refreshed and lifted into the Presence of Jesus. If someone is hurting or in sin, we can woo them with the fragrance of Jesus’ love or push them away with the stench of judgment. May all of us be that smell of fresh-baked bread, the bread of forgiveness!

(This information is used by permission from “Whispers of Heaven” by Rosalie Storment and Faye Higbee, copyrighted 2011)

Who here finds it apparent that Obama is pulling out all the stops in hopes that America will launch an attack on the government? He has pushed racial divide, class warfare tactics and instituted so many policies that were sure to disrupt patriots. He has belittled and slandered Christians and constitutionalists. Obama has pushed Americans to a so called “guaranteed” breaking point to learn his tactics failed to spark a war. So then, he prolonged war although he was going to bring our troops home in 2009 according to his own words. Bush’s war it was and we had no business there he said. Lies or strategy, regardless he changed his words. He openly supported the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi, Syrian Rebels and more, knowing the Americans once again could explode into violence, giving money to other countries while we are broke! There was still no attack by the “extremist groups” of Christians and patriots. Permits were denied to the Bikers but not the Muslims, just another anger boost. So to up the anger even more, Obama wants to vote on war in Syria, joining forces with the men who assaulted and disrespected our country on 9-11-01. This is no ordinary vote; this vote will come on the anniversary of cowardly attacks by cowardly people. The vote is pushing to be in favor of a strike, helping these same cowards that carried out these attacks. If Obama can get the American people to strike the government first, he would have a sense of gaining sympathy from other nations instead of seeing other nations against his tyrannical plans. You must remember the world knows America as the free world, and our laws and constitutional rights. Many held the US in highest regards because as long as America was not corrupt like their country, they have hope and less fear of their government killing their own people, and they should feel this way. We have always found our way into a civil war in many countries, just not on this side before. These are the last ditch efforts of tyrants to take control in a defensive fashion. Starting offensively would be the end before the beginning and they know that. The last option is to stage attacks and ask for foreign support and I imagine that is the next step. I hope Americans are not buying time out of fear, yet strategy and timing. We have not and should not throw the first major blow, but we also need to realize defense could be very necessary in the coming days.

From the initial attack, the United States has changed and not so much for the better. After the smoke cleared and the dust settled, we find ourselves going back into time where our founding fathers warned us we could go. We see it, but we do not believe it or we just feel we have to accept it. Either way, we are not doing anything to truly correct it.

We have seen so many executive orders come from presidents since the attack, allowing the citizens to be more controlled by our government. We have many new divisions of government to “protect” us from further attacks.

We saw little steps, with limited spying on us all under Bush. Many were outraged, mainly because he was not the speaker Obama is.

Under Obama, we are fully watched like Germans under Hitler and many accept it much like Germans. We have a new army, the Homeland Security but for what? TSA who singles out Americans only or Border patrol that has sparked conflict with Mexico or FEMA who failed us during Katrina could go in this category.

We have the NSA watching our every move but what good is coming from this? Nothing that is showing in large scales being we have had multiple small attacks still. Boston, if not rehearsed, shoots any program down that would have prevented it.

We cannot enjoy any events without big brother looking over our shoulders and not allowing us to carry many of the same items along that we have for years before.

We have separated since coming together as one nation under God, and allowing evil to reign supreme. Muslims are kidnapping our young women and using them as sex slaves in our own country and we rely on our government who has proven support for them to correct it.

Islamic camps are popping up across the US and we have to accept it too. Christians and patriots alike are the new terrorists in our own country. Pride for our flag and our God who we built upon is under attack.

Plans for a mosque to be built where the towers once stood was in the works just to slap us once again and we still talk of elections to right this wrong. We saw voter fraud already and I seriously doubt we will see any difference in midterms. I hope I am wrong.

The last twelve years, we have been pushed back in time, under control but not by the British this time. Every aspect of the land of the free and home of the brave is fading each passing anniversary of the attack on the US. The attack that no other country would have seen coming because you don’t invade America, carried out by Muslims and they have been invading ever since.

Now the rest of the world is questioning our ability like never before because Americans have become lazy and scared. We are descendants from men who stood against a very large army and hailed victory. We still have that blood, but the mind has been destroyed.

This 12th anniversary, please look to Christ, God or whatever you believe in and try to find the mind to question the actions of the president. We cannot allow one more anniversary of terrorism to pass without moving forward instead of backwards even further.

“Her sins which are many have been forgiven because she loved much . . . and I love my Jesus!” Her name is *Carolina Toscani. On 29 Sep 1981, she came to understand there was someone who loved her regardless. Allow me to give you a brief summary of why love is an important factor in her life.

Outraging remembrances of abuse self-medicating at an early age to make feelings and memories go away, it is no wonder why by 1981 her weekly alcohol consumption was enormous and her pharmaceutical usage was monstrous. Having seen death up close and personal, along with wondering why almost all those she loved died before her, it was not surprising when some young ladies from a metropolitan church knocked on her door she was passed out on the floor. Hearing the knock, she opened the door, inviting them in; they proceeded to discuss Jesus and various scriptures, along with a testimony of someone who attended the church.

You see Carolina was what was known as a functional addict. Able to work, take care of herself and appear “responsible” to all those around her. Talk about Jesus, certainly! She had been brought up in the church always being taught one needed to be a “Christian.” The sad thing was that no one had ever told or shown her she could have a “personal relationship” with the Lord; nor had they shared there was a man who loved her unconditionally . . . . regardless . . . period . . . end of statement.

(In her own words) “You see, I never knew there was someone I could trust and love without having to “perform” for him.”

Well, to make a long story short, about a month later she called the church on a Sunday night from a payphone, insisting she be allowed to speak to the man. (The man, we’ll call Jim for his privacy) She would not hang up the phone until she talked with him. You see she had been trying to make a drug connection. Unable to do so, she “was at the end . . . out of men, out of drugs, out of booze.” Jim agreed to a home visit the upcoming Tuesday. At that time Jim shared about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jim shared if she confessed with her mouth Jesus was Lord, believed in her heart God had raised him from the dead, (and ask forgiveness for her sins) she would be saved, changed, become a new creation, old things having passed away, all things becoming new; “well I did and I am.”

Her life changed dramatically. It has not always been pleasant. No, she faced many challenges, also, magnificent joys. She would love to tell you nothing bad or taxing has entered her life in those 32 years. That would not be the truth, nor would it be reality. One thing however never changed . . . the fact – Jesus loves us and is consistently faithful to His word. He has never left her, nor forsaken her. He will do the same for you. She is now retired and ministers to others as often as possible. The most important things in her life are being devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and obeying Him.

As I sit, trying to regain the passion to speak out about the death of America that we are facing , I cannot grasp what is occurring. I love this country but I don’t think we will stand strong enough to hold her up much longer. My fire is slowly burning out and I am honestly ready for the next chapter already.

I turn to a second hand firearm sight to see if there are any deals worth looking at and all I see is fighting, price gouging and a lack of intellectual conversations taking place there. Like children fighting over toys, these grown men are making the worst arguments over sighting and zeroing a scope. We are headed for the end of times and we are going to go down over a scope?

Many fear the bombing of Syria will start the destruction of America and this will be the case, so the answer some individuals are posting is to NUKE the Middle East on every site I see. Sure, secure our death sentence. The Middle East is not going to take us down, but their allies are sure to do it for them. Using Nuclear weapons in a region so shattered from blood shed would probably be a blessing in disguise for them, but the end for us. When Russia and China storms our shores, who do we have to lean on? Nobody anymore, because we allowed our tyrannical government to seal that deal all while fighting amongst ourselves.

In my news feed, friends who are against immigration reform and amnesty make comments about marijuana usage. The hypocrisy of stating that if the world had more pot smokers, it would be a calmer place is the dumbest I have heard for a while. If there were even more pot smokers, the drug cartels would have a larger market and more reason to kill each other. The illegal aliens that we do not want here are the same people smuggling in the drugs.

And that leaves us with the patriotic groups themselves that set out for monetary gain, using a time of crisis to profit the largest sums they have ever seen. Between T shirt sales and donate buttons all in the name of “growing” to spread the message. What message are they spreading? They are only spreading hate and hypocrisy. You try to exercise your right to free speech, it works fine until you say one thing they disagree with and see if they let you play along anymore.

I have heard too many times, we should sit and wait until midterms. Our government must have heard us calling upon that also and will take midterms out of the equation now by striking Syria. We are doing what we claimed we were tired of doing since the 1960’s and don’t even realize it do we? Did many of us not set out, vowing to never let us be pushed aside again? Did we not say we will now stand and fight these tyrants? I sure haven’t seen that happen.

Peaceful demonstrations they said, that will wake up the masses. Many set out to do that, just to be blindsided by attacks from “fellow patriots” who said the ideas and times were wrong. From February until current, we have allowed some PATRIOTIC GROUP to spoil any hope we have made to reverse these evil times. I have stated many times in many writings that we would sit and watch destruction, some of us out of fear others out of ignorance, wanting to try peacefully, but that isn’t working. Responses range from “give it time”, to “who will lead us?” Jesus would lead us if we were ready, but we cannot purify our hearts and allow him in no matter how many times we say we will.

War is a terrible thing. Some wars are more “just” than others, but war is always the result of sin (Romans 3:10-18). At the same time, Ecclesiastes 3:8 declares, “There is…a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” In a world filled with sin, hatred, and evil (Romans 3:10-18), war is inevitable. Christians should not desire war, but neither are Christians to oppose the government God has placed in authority over them (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:17). The most important thing we can be doing in a time of war is to be praying for godly wisdom for our leaders, praying for the safety of our military, praying for quick resolution to conflicts, and praying for a minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides (Philippians 4:6-7).

Many scriptures warn us of the necessity of war, but we are stuck on Jesus turning the other cheek. God will not come down and resolve the evil from our eyes, but he has made those who accept him in their hearts strong enough to do it. David, small in size was given the power to take down Goliath. God led a small army against outnumbering oppositions to victory. Our founding fathers have spelled out in easy to read instructions about tyrants and the need to rid them.

I honestly do not know if I would want to be considered a patriot or a constitutionalist from this day on. I want to be a soldier for my savior Jesus Christ and to do so, the next chapter will have to begin I believe. It will take an invasion before any army, but mainly God’s army, to right the wrong.

I do not want to sit any longer, wondering when the next opportunity to exit poverty will be, or how long I can put clothes on my kids and food in their stomachs. The anticipation is exhausting and disheartening all at the same time.

We sit and wait for an easy to see sign while ignoring all the signs before it. If the poisoning of our children through vaccinations, fluoride in our water, chemtrails in our skies or GMO’s in our food hasn’t been enough; and death from cowardly attacks from hijacked planes, endless war, or the persecution of Christians all over the world hasn’t been enough, we will never understand the sign of the times until we are all on our knees finally trying to flood our hearts with true purity and the love of our savior.

God promised to never flood the lands again and many have taken that as a false thought of God never ridding the earth of his creations but make no mistake, God can be an angry god, and we know Revelations speaks of fire on earth. God will not flood us, he will burn us alive and he will do so without remorse for us not understanding the signs. He has already spoken of the signs through John, the ones we ignore while waiting to see our God come down and speak to us himself.

I am ready, whether or not God sees me fit to live eternally in the New Jerusalem or not, I am ready. I would rather be judged heavily by my Lord than spend years in hypocrisy. While we continue going backwards and doing circles, remember evil is on a straight forward path and many steps ahead of us.

The Constitution of the United States of America (Founded, written, and signed by mostly Christians and on Christian Principles).

Christians are being attacked on multiple fronts here in America. Our own government, which was built upon the rock of God’s fairness, equality, faith, and morals is attacking us.

Allow me to provide a few examples: In 2006, State Senator Obama visited Europe and the Middle East, where he made a series of speeches. Before his final speech, Obama stood next to Turkey’s President and stated that in the US, “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” Perhaps this is what recently led Michelle Obama to say that President Obama ”knows we are going to have to change our traditions and our history”. I wonder if some of that history-changing has to do with denying that our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles created by God-fearing men?

In a written statement, the Pentagon told Fox News that “religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense” and that “court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis, and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome in specific cases”. A consultant that has been brought in to help the Pentagon develop new policies on religious tolerance says that sharing the gospel with someone else is like “rape” and that he would like to see “hundreds of prosecutions to stop this outrage”. His name is Mikey Weinstein, and he is the president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. In the past, he has described Christians as “human monsters” and “enemies of the United States Constitution“. He says that sharing the gospel in the military is “sedition and treason” and should be punished as such. Why in the world would such a man be brought in to advise the Pentagon about religious tolerance?

Obamacare would like to force us into buying a product that we as Christians (the overwhelming majority of) do not want to be a part of, the morning after pill (abortion pill). If we pay for Obamacare, we’re paying for the pill. In Venice, Florida authorities are cracking down on Shane and Marlen Roessiger for holding a Bible study in their home on Friday nights. The meetings consist of at most 10 people gathering for a time of prayer and Bible study, but authorities in Venice insist that this is a “zoning violation” and Shane and Marlen Roessiger are being threatened with a fine of $250 per meeting. These are just a few examples of our own government waging War against Christians.

If that alone doesn’t bother you, how about some statistics: In a survey by Lifeway Resources that some 54,000 plus Americans between the ages of 18-29 contributed to show, 65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either. 65% rarely or never attend worship services of any kind. 67% don’t read the Bible or any other religious texts on a regular basis. That is a solid two-thirds of American young adults who don’t even have the slightest connection to traditional Christianity. One survey conducted by the Barna Group found that less than 1 percent of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 hold a Biblical worldview. The Barna Group asked participants in the survey if they agreed with the following six statements….

1) Believing that absolute moral truth exists.
2) Believing that the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
3) Believing that Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic.
4) Believing that a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or by doing good works.
5) Believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.
6) Believing that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.

Less than 1 percent!!! That as an American, as a Christian is a hard pill to swallow. Never before in U.S. history has an entire generation rejected the gospel as much as the current one has.

Just as scary, from 2000-2010 the number of muslims and muslim mosques in America has literally Doubled, all while the number of devout Christians has dropped. The same is happening in Europe, where is quite possible by 2020 that Muslims will out number Christians.

Now for a global ray of sunshine, the number of Christians in countries such as Africa, Asia and Egypt have risen considerably in the last 10 years. Hopefully it’s a sign that the work of Lottie Moon and other women and men like her is paying off. As I hope it would, given the dues they’ve paid.

As for America’s youth, they’re not stupid. They know what is real and what is not. The Church in America is broken. It is very rare to find a church where authentic Christianity is being practiced anymore. If the Church in America would repent and turn back to real, authentic Christianity at least we would have a chance of capturing the attention of those young Americans who are honestly looking for the truth.

Excerpts from our United States Declaration of Independence.
:The separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s “God” entitle them,
:We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their “Creator” with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
:appealing to the “Supreme Judge” of the world

We can not let Our Creator, the Supreme Judge, Our God be taken from us or our youth. We must fight for what we believe in. The word Revival is not strong enough. God needs foot soldiers on the ground Here and Now. There is no time to waste. With enough people, enough voices, enough examples of Christianity (ourselves) and God by our side….we can win this war for souls in America.

Dear Lord, I pray for your helping hand, to bring about an uprising of your followers. That we may evangelize like never before. That we may spread your word faster than the cancer that is eating away at the very heart of our country.
In Jesus holy name I pray, Amen.

For the last five years we have watched as you have shucked and jived, exaggerated, distorted and outright lied about many things of significant importance to the American people. You have interjected yourself in events for the sole purpose of bringing attention TO you, yet feign ignorance of issues that show you are totally clueless as to what it REALLY means to be the leader of the free world.

You close the doors of The People’s House to the People, yet continue your lavish partying with “celebrities”. You ignore facts and evidence that run counter to your support for your muslim bretheren, allowing members of that “brotherhood” into highly sensitive positions throughout the government in order to cleanse various departments of all things “anti-muslim”. Your Defense Dept. classifies the actions of a known enemy sympathizer as “workplace violence”, while others such as the DHS, CIA, FBI etc. are characterizing whistleblowers and other patriotic Americans as “terrorists”.

We cannot display the Ten Commandments in public spaces, schools no longer allow students to recite The Pledge of Allegiance. Men and women of faith in the military face punishment for exercising their faith, yet muslims are allowed to practice their faith unmolested in schools or wherever they demand.

This didn’t start with you, Mr. Transparency, but you have not followed up on any of your promises to curtail the actions of these departments. Instead you allow these things to increase. You bow to foreign leaders, make apologies and excuses. Your foreign policy is a sham, and domestically you and your administration have done nothing but work towards the destruction of our economy, set race relations back 50-60 years, and feverishly work to reshape our education system into one of indoctrination.

It is crystal clear that you and your acolytes want the rest of America to be ashamed of our heritage and culture, but I tell you now that what you are doing will not stand. There is a groundswell forming that you and your supporters will not be able to withstand. Your so called domestic army, just as strong as the military, will wither and blow away as so much dust if ever called to act against the American Patriots who choose to stand for our Country and Constitution. The attempts by you, your party and the RINO’s to run roughshod over our founding documents and principles will continue to face mounting resistance, regardless of E.O.’s or other edicts. I shall never kneel before you, nor shall I pray to you.

You have no concept of what it really means to be an American, I suggest you learn and act accordingly, or step down before you are forced to do so.

I have a feeling that if Muslims were being slaughtered in Mosques and targeted specifically because of their religion anywhere, but especially in the Middle East, there would be multiple U.N. mandates, world out cry and disgust, and the mainstream media groups would be reporting it as breaking news on all channels. But, if you are a Christian, particularly of the Coptic sect in Egypt (one of the oldest Christian groups in history), you do not matter as much. In fact, the Coptic Christians in Egypt and other Christian groups in Syria, and around the Middle East and North Africa are being targeted, harassed, attacked, and murdered for the fact that they are Christians.

Where is the collective gasp of global condemnation? Why are only some of the excellent, but smaller conservative news sites like Breitbart and The Blaze the only one’s heavily reporting this? Why is it alright for Muslims to kill Christians because of their beliefs, but a Christian, even here in America, faces possible hate-crime charges for simply speaking out against Islam. I guess it is in line with the same twisted thinking that can call George Zimmerman a “white man” and a racist for what happened to Trayvon Martin, but two black teens and a bi-racial teen can kill a “white man” in Oklahoma, and even specifically state it is out of hate, but it does not get reported. But, I digress…

That is a different story, but the relationship between it and the slaughter of the Coptic Christians in Egypt is found in the mentality of the mass-media in this country and abroad. Make no mistake about it, Good People, whether Christians are actually being shot, beheaded, and blown up (which is happening), or the media that has a responsibility to report these matters are either silent, or under-reporting it, there is a very real war against Christianity going on. In the Middle East, it is a shooting war. Here in America, it is a war of ideologies, omission, the stripping of religious freedoms from Christians, and pressure and intimidation against Christian groups. Continue reading →

(This is a personal testimony shared with me by my brother, who wishes to remain anonymous.)

I would like to share a story here if I may. First and foremost, I need to state clearly that I am telling this story not to gain any accolades for myself, but so that I may share with you the healing power of God so that He may have the Glory and Praise.

I am a firm believer that Evangelism is Relationships. We as Christians tend to think “I give some cash to the guy on the corner, hope he doesn’t buy booze, and pray it makes me a decent follower.” The thing is, how many people develop a relationship with the panhandler on the street? How can you see a change in someone if you do not KNOW them?

I was going to my bank around a year ago and I noticed a homeless man with a walker holding a sign asking for money. I had seen him before, never gave him anything and never thought much about it. This time it was different, I didn’t think about helping him, I simply KNEW I was going to. So, after the bank, I went to the Starbucks next door, got him enough food for the time being and a gift card for when he needed more. I walked up to him and gave him his food, drinks, and gift card, and the man was so grateful he began crying.

I asked him then what his name was, he said, “Sisco,” and I told him I was Antone, and asked if he needed me to pray with him for anything. He said, “I need you to pray for my legs, look at them…,” he hiked up a leg of his pants and they were badly discolored and nearly black. They were in bad shape and he explained that the doctors were telling him he needed amputation. What else could I do? I knelt beside this man, I put my arm around him and prayed for healing upon his legs and his soul. He was still crying, said thank you, and I told him he was loved and being cared for by God. And I left.

I saw him a few more times here and there, always in the same spot. I always try to stop and see if he has been fed yet, do what I can to help. I had gone a few months without seeing him in his usual spot and was worried for a while, but then last month I saw him there again as usual.

I walked up, said “Hey Sisco, how are you? You get anything to eat yet?” He said “Yeah, I just ate, but I am trying to get a room for the night though, if you can help.” I gave him what I had in my pocket, and asked if he needed any help with anything else, his eyes lit up and said “Yeah, here…,” he handed me his cane and said, “Here help me hold that.” Then he got up off the curb he was sitting on and walked around with a huge smile on his face. He said, “Look at my legs! They are healed, the doctors just took the pins out and I can walk again on my own.” And his legs were no longer black, they were not even close to what they had been a year ago. He gave me a hug and said, “Thank you, God takes care of me through his vessels like you. I can walk now and I plan on getting back into construction. I just want to make my own money again.”

Brothers and sisters, trust me I know how hard this can be. I am, as my Brother Daniel can confirm, a complete Germaphobe and hugging homeless people isn’t exactly inside the realm of my comfort zone. But, to be witness to the healing power of God, and the answer of a prayer is amazing and worth every effort to see come to fruition. I have heard in many circles people say, “Well, we want to help these people, but we need an appropriate time frame to see things working and see a change brought about in their lives.” All I can say Brothers and Sisters is God has a different time frame than we do, we do not get to decide how long it takes, we get to decide only to BE obedient and patient or not to BE. I am joyful to have been able to see this happen for our Brother in Christ, Sisco, the least of us who is royalty in heaven and the most among our Lord. Have a blessed day, and thank you for reading. Praise Jesus, Glory to God.